The Destruction of Borley
by Kristy Rathbun
Two years passed, after the Foysters had left, before the rectory was
occupied again. Harry Price saw the vacancy as an opportunity to study
Borley Rectory first-hand. He leased the property in 1937 and was rather
unimpressed at first with the phenomena (or lack there of). He documented
footsteps as the most common activity during the first part of his stay. But,
along with his study group (consisting of unscientific investigators), witnessed
several poltergeist activities, including the movement of objects that were
closely documented and moved from precisly recorded locations. They also
experienced temperature drops, noises, and objects mysteriously “appearing”
around the rectory and throughout the rooms. They didn’t come across any
sightings, although Price did report observing the Spectral Nun on the day of
his first visit to the rectory, along with the Daily Mirror reporter, C. V. Wall.
On March 27, 1938, a seance was held at the rectory in which a
“ghostly communicant” predicted the annihilation of Borley Rectory in years
or even months to come. The prediction that a nun’s body would be
discovered amongst the ruins was also concluded from te seance and later
proved to be true.
That year, Price and his group left Borley and Captain William
Gregson and his family moved in, not knowing that they would be the last
inhabitants Borley Rectory would see. Paranormal phenomena was still being
reported during the Gregsons’ stay, though their stay would end sooner than
they expected and the Gregson son, Alan, would become the last living
witness.
On February 27-28, 1939, Borley Rectory caught fire. The Gregson
family had escaped in time to witness the rectory go up in flames. The whole
central part was destroyed, but the Brigade arrived in time to cease the fire at
the ends of the two wings.
Apparantly, Capt. Gregson had been putting away books on a shelf at
the foot of the main staircase. A pile of books had toppled over onto a
lamplight and the fire started blazing up the stairwell.
This is what happened according to Alan Gregson. Others believe it
wasn’t Capt. Gregson who started the fire, but it was the spirits who knocked
over the books, beginning the end of Borley Rectory.
A number of witnesses claim to have seen ghostly figures though the
flames. There was even reports of seeing the solemn nun as she walked away
from the blazing building.
In 1943, Price made his last visit to the rectory, which was now partial
destroyed by the fire. As he ventured through the cellars and ruin, he
discovered the remains of a body, including a young woman’s jawbone and
skull. He believed this to be that of the nun who was bricked up alive within
the cellar walls. The site was razed in 1944, one year later. In the late 1950s, Philip Paul excavated the ruin, discovering the tunnel and some servant bells that were claimed to ring by themselves.
copyright © 2000 by Kristy Rathbun
All rights reserved. Information used with permission from sources. Use of this document for any unauthorized purpose is prohibited. Taken from "The Other Side: Borley Rectory" anthology by Kristy Rathbun.